Chuffy
Posted : 8/29/2009 4:24:40 PM
razujikan
Now, as soon as he sees someone new or old,
he hits the end of the leash straining and whining in a desire to run
to them and leap into their arms and be lavished with love.
What
I would do in this scenario is just stop, turn around and walk the
other way. I can understand completely why food and toys are not
working, because in this scenario, they are not a "reward". Lesson for the day: A reward is what the dog WANTS. So, make interaction with people the "reward".
Have
you ever made him sit for his dinner - you know, ask for the sit and
slowly lower the bowl. If his butt comes up, so does the bowl. The
dog quickly learns to keep his little behind glued to the floor because
it's the way to get what he wants. Make sense?
You can also do
the same with doors. Have the dog sit at the door and open it just a
crack. If he gets up, close it again. The way to get what you want is
to sit.
This is basically, NILIF. Nothing In Life Is Free. Essentially, "do something for me and I'll do something for you". It's a simple way to gain the dog's co-operation, particularly at times when he wants something so bad he is struggling to remain calm... without having to carry food rewards round with you all the time 
It's a good idea to do NILIF at home, in as many areas as possible, so that he generalises: "I get what I want if I sit/lie down calmly". This makes your work out and about a lot easier.
You can do the same with greetings. If the dog is CALM -
you move closer and work up to being petted. If the dog acts like a
nut, you move away. It helps if you ignore the dog at home when he is
acting bonkers, and only pet him if he restrains himself. It's the same principal... you are working out what the dog wants and showing him that he only gets it when he behaves in a way that is appropriate. In our
house, no dog is petted unless we have "four on the floor". At first,
we make it easy on a new dog by teaching a good "down" (by that I mean
you say DOWN and the dog takes extreme joy in slamming to the floor very
very fast!) and sitting on the floor WITH them.
(A down is easier to maintain than a sit..... Ask Callie about Tink and her "hoppins up in the butt" 
)
At first, you may find that you are doing a lot of "walking away from new people" and not finding opportunities to reward what you like. Getting a friend to help you would be one way round it.... this way you can do all the walking back and to and pausing and encouraging calmness etc. whilethe other person understands what you are trying to do and waits patiently... and who will co-operate and not make it harder for the poor dog by winding them up!
Another way to tackle the same issue would be to tether the dog and walk away. Turn around and walk BACK again, but only keep moving forward if the dog is behaving calmly. For example, the dog may start jumping up or whining or straining at the leash. Start small! Don't expect everything all at once... Rome was not built in a day. At first, you may simply wait for a moment of quiet, or for those feet to be on the ground, or for the lead to be slack. Pick one thing to work on at a time and you will reach your goal MUCH faster than if you try to tackle everything all at once!
razujikan
I started him with clicker training, but had issues with it. He was so obsessed with the food reward that I had to phase it out almost immediately (literally, by the second day).
Not sure I am understanding this right - you mean you now click, but don't follow with a reward? If so, it's incorrect and the click will, in time, lose efficacy and lose any meaning to the dog. Every click must be followed by a treat. Click, treat. Click, treat. Click, treat. The two must be paired together irrevocably in the dog's mind, which means that the click simply CANNOT HAPPEN sans-treat. (The treat does not HAVE to be food, but it must be something at least moderately desirable for the dog.)
razujikan
Also, if anyone has suggestions of how to deal with squeaky people, I'd appreciate it. I've even thought of making him a little t-shirt that says, "Dog In Training: Please Don't Speak to or Touch!" but I doubt it would work.
This is exactly whatI was going to suggest, and I think it would work very well.... but don't put "in training", or some clever clogs people will be convinced they can help you with that. 
Just put "I am working. Please don't distract me." in bold letters, plain colours, nothing cutesy
A simpler option would be: train him to wear a basket muzzle. This is easy, just stick a tiny morsel of food through the end so he sticks his nose in. Or smear a very small amount of peanut butter/soft cheese/liverwurst on the inside so he sticks his nose in and lick it off. Put the muzzle on when you take him out and about. Most people avoid interaction with a dog wearing a muzzle.